Saturday, September 29, 2012

Tips From a New Source

I am always willing to take suggestions and read info, tips and opinions so when I found this post from the source called Tread Lightly, I thought I would share. Granted, a lot of it is the same stuff we have read in the past but there are some good new points; especially for the new cacher.

Here is what they posted -

Geochachers Encouraged to Tread Lightly

Marrying
high-tech gadgets with rugged outdoor travel, geocaching has become one
of the hottest new forms of recreation. But some are warning that its
popularity will take a toll on the nation’s public land if not done
responsibly.

In geocaching, participants use global positioning
systems (GPS) to direct them to hidden treasures or “caches.” Caches are
usually low-priced trinkets and are most often placed in backcountry
settings. There are at least 250,000 caches hidden throughout the world
on any given day.

“Unwanted tire tracks, damaged vegetation and disrupted wildlife can be harsh consequences of irresponsible geocaching,” said Patti Klein, National Stewardship Coordinator for the Bureau of Land Management. “We
encourage geocachers to check with their local land manager for
regulations and practice minimum impact behavior at all times.”

"Tread Lightly!," a nonprofit organization that
educates people to recreate responsibly, recently released tips to help
geocachers minimize their impact on the outdoors.

TIPS FOR RESPONSIBLE GEOCACHING
• Check with local land managers to determine regulations before placing
or searching for a cache. The National Park Service, for example, has
strict geocaching regulations.
• Keep vehicles on designated roads and trails.
• Use the “track back” feature on your GPS unit rather than flagging and marking trails.
• In addition to your GPS receiver, always carry extra batteries, a map, compass and know how to use them.
• Practice the “lift, look, replace” technique. If you lift a rock to look under it, replace it exactly as you found it.
• Following a trip, wash your gear to reduce the spread of invasive species.
• Traditional geocaching is not appropriate in areas designated as Wilderness.

CACHE PLACERS
• Avoid sensitive areas including cultural sites, wetlands, caves and steep slopes.
• Avoid burying a cache in the ground.
• It is the cache owner’s responsibility to maintain the cache and the
surrounding area. If the cache area becomes impacted, confer with the
landowner on how you will mitigate the impacts, and seek their advice as
to whether to relocate the cache.
• Never place food items in a cache.

CACHE SEEKERS
• Use maps to find a route that will minimize impact.
• If you notice a path has started to wear in the vicinity of a cache, notify the cache owner via email.
• When allowed to hike off designated trails, spread out in open
country. One exception is in deserts, where hikers should travel in
single file and try to walk on hardened surfaces such as slickrock,
gravel or in sand washes.
• After you’ve finished searching for a cache, the area should look as
though you were never there or better than when you arrived.

"It is important for the worldwide geocaching
community to tread lightly on the environment in order to maintain the
natural beauty of our outdoor resources,” said Bryan Roth, Co-Founder
and Vice President of geocaching.com, the web’s dominant geocaching
site.

Great tips! I especially like how they express concern for the environment and leaving your surrounding just how you found them. So important that cachers don't alter the vegetation.